Improvement in oil-tanks



.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAZEN TITUS, OF ST. PETERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND THOMAS OUSHING, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN OIL-TANKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,619, dated January 20, 1874; application filed December 20, 1873.

To all rwhom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, HAZEN TITUs, of St. Petersburg, in the county of Clarion and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use-i ful Improvement in Oil-Tanks, of which the following is a specification:

Figure l is a top view of an oil-tank to which my improvement has been applied. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section of the same taken through the line x w, Fig. l.

' My invention has for its object to furnish oil tanks or reservoirs, which shall be so constructed that, should the oil take fire and an explosion take place, the exploded gases may escape freely, and the tank maybe again tightly closed automatically, so as to smother the fire and thus save the oil. The invention consists in oil-tanks provided with a number of openings,`closed with hinged covers, to allow the exploded gases t0 escape freely without injury to the tanks, and sol arranged as to close automatically and smother the fire as soon as the pressure is removed, as hereinafter fully described. Y

A represents the tank, which isl made of sheets of iron, riveted together inthe ordinary manner. In the top of the tank A a number of the plates are left out, forming a suiicient number of openings to allow the gases to escape freely in case of explosion without injury to the tank. To the top of the tank A, around the openings formed in it, are riveted iron frames, which form seats for the covers B. The covers B are formed of sheets of iron,

which may be strengthened with iron frames ittin g snugly upon the frames of the openings. The covers B are connected at one edge with the top of the tank B by hinges O, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The overs B are provided with springs or stops D, which are connected with the top of the tank A, and should be of suiicient strength to prevent the covers B from being forced back too far by the pressure of the exploded gases, so that they will fall back by their own weight as soon as the pressure is i removed, and tightly close the tank, smothering the fire and preventing the oil from being burned up.

made of Wood also.

Having thus described my invention, I clann as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 4 ent- Oil-tanks A, provided with a `number of openings closed with hinged covers B C, to allow the exploded gasesy to escape freely without injury to the tanks, andso arranged as to v close automatically and smother the fire as soon as the pressure is removed, substantially as herein shown and described.

'HAZEN TiTUs.

Witnesses: l v

G. W. MoLTs, H. W. BRECKENRIDGE. 

